The village to the East •KatsuDeku• (Omegaverse)

Chapter Five: Fear

(Y'all, sorry I forgot to post Yesterday, I was fr tweaking, lol. The art above is from my friend's sister!)

Katsuki's POV:

War looms, a dark shadow that clings to the very air I breathe. Staring at the war plans scattered across my desk, dread sinks deep into my gut. We're on the brink of conflict, and I don't know why. No one does. The rumors swirling across the kingdom are filled with panic, but there's no clear cause-no imminent threat driving us into battle.

I sift through the reports, frustration gnawing at me. Dark is part of MAGIC-the Mechanical Alliance of Global Interchangeable Clarity-and their allies are dangerous: Mechanorok, with their cutting-edge technology; the Draconis Empire, with their human-bat hybrids; the Elvenaris Dominion, teeming with elves and fairies; and the supremacist Nordic Mechalliance. Each kingdom is more extreme than the last. Together, they could wipe us out if we're not prepared.

But why now? Why this sudden chaos?

As I reach for another report, my hand pauses. An anonymous tip-different from the others. My pulse quickens as I open it.

"01010100 01101000 01100101 00100000 01101111 01101101 01100101 01100111 01100001 01110011 00100000 01101000 01100001 01110110 01100101 00100000 01100010 01100101 01100101 01101110 00100000 01100011 01100001 01110000 01110100 01110101 01110010 01100101 01100100."

It's binary. My stomach twists in irritation. Of course, it's cryptic.

I scan the rest of the note:

"3 4 0 17 2 17 8 12 18 14 13 10 8 13 6 19 7 4 3 0 17 10 10 8 13 6 3 14 12 0 13 3 12 0 6 8 2 5 14 17 2 4 18 22 4 8 6 22 0 17 20 15 14 13 20 18 13 1 24, 3 17 8 21 4 13 1 24 19 7 4 0 19 7 4 13 0 2 20 17 18 4 19 7 4 3 4 0 19 7 14 5 19 7 4 3 17 0 6 14 13 5 0 19 7 4 17 0 13 3 19 7 4 0 1 3 20 2 19 8 14 13 14 5 19 7 4 14 12 4 6 0 13 12 14 19 7 4 17 19 7 14 18 4 22 7 14 2 11 0 8 12 19 14 11 14 21 4 24 14 20 7 0 17 1 14 17 18 4 2 17 4 19 18 1 4 24 14 13 3 24 14 20 17 8 12 0 6 8 13 0 19 8 14 13 11 14 14 10 19 7 17 14 20 6 7 24 14 20 7 8 18 19 14 17 24 0 13 3 24 14 20 22 8 11 11 20 13 2 14 21 4 17 19 7 4 19 17 20 19 7."

. - 01000111 01101111 01101100 01100100 01100101 01101110 00100000 01001000 01100001 01101110 01100100."

The more I read, the more ridiculous it felt. I had no idea what it meant-numbers, binary, cryptic phrases-I couldn't make sense of it. I pushed back from my desk, running a hand through my blonde hair in frustration.

I needed a break. I left my office, the note still in hand, and headed toward the living room, where I knew Shitty Hair and his mate liked to hang out. As I walked in, I spotted him chatting with Mamoru, Suzuki, and Shiro.

Mamoru, the Empress of the Emerald Nation, was a fierce female Alpha, ruling with absolute authority. Beside her, Sozuki, the marchioness of Emerald and sole leader of border protection-an insane feat for a female Beta-was listening intently. Then there was Shiro, the elder of the fraternal twins. He was a male Omega, mated to Adamu Mitzu, the Dutch of Emerald. His younger sister, Suzuki, had carved out her own place in Emerald, a nation renowned for its advancements in medicine and science.

Shiro smiled and waved, his usual friendly self. Sozuki gave me a small, polite nod, while Mamoru grinned widely, standing up to pull me into a bear hug.

"Hey, Rat!" she greeted, squeezing me tight, like the brute she is.

"Ugh, let go, chopped nose!" I grunted, shoving her off, annoyed beyond belief. She frowned but let go as I turned to Kirishima.

"Shitty Hair, you're surprisingly smart. Do you know what the fuck this says?" I shoved the paper at him, ignoring the way Mamoru draped her arm around me, her face wearing that smug, know-it-all expression she always has when she's onto something before you are.